George "Malmo" Malley (born July 28, 1955) is an American

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

. He held

American records American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

in the

3000m steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 metres, which derives its name from the h ...

, 12 km, and

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

Early career

George Malley graduated from

DuVal High School DuVal High School (DHS) is a comprehensive science and technology public magnet high school in the Seabrook census-designated place in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, with a Lanham postal address.

Lanham, Maryland Lanham is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland. As of the 2020 United States Census it had a population of 11,282. The New Carrollton station (the terminus of the Washington Metro's Orange Li ...

in 1973. He began competing in track and field and cross country his sophomore year. The DuVal High School cross-country team was ranked ninth and fifth nationally during his junior and senior years. He would set personal bests of 4:16.4 in the mile and 9:10.2 in the two mile. Malley attended

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

, where he was a five-time All-America, and broke the American record in the steeplechase with his 8:22.54 at the 1977 AAU National Championships in Westwood, California. In the summer of 1977 he improved his mile personal best to 4:00.5 in Berlin, Germany. He was ranked sixth in the world in the 3000m steeplechase event by Track & Field News for 1977

Professional career

1978 Malley would run the steeplechase in 8:21.72, narrowly missing the new record of 8:21.55 set by Henry Marsh, and lowered his 1500-meter best to 3:40.21 just two days later. 1981 began with a New Years Day attempt on Bill Rodgers American Record at 15,000 m (43:39.8) in Palo Alto, CA. Malley would fall 3 seconds short with his 43:43.2 On March 15, in Cherry Hill, NJ, he would tie the existing 10 mile AR of 47:02 held by Herb Lindsay in a losing effort to fellow steeplechaser Mike Roche, who established the new mark with his 46:57. On March 21 he would set the American 12 km record with his 35:10 over a hilly course in Holyoke, MA. While preparing for the

1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Madrid, Spain, at the Hipódromo de la Zarzuela on March 28, 1981. A report on the event was given in the ''Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded ...

Malley would tear his

plantar fascia The plantar fascia is the thick connective tissue (aponeurosis) which supports the arch on the bottom (plantar side) of the foot. It runs from the tuberosity of the calcaneus (heel bone) forward to the heads of the metatarsal bones (the bone betw ...

. He still ran the race, finishing 51st, helping the US team win the silver medal. It was the highest finish, and remains the lowest 6-man score by a US team in World Cross Country competition. In 1982 he set the American record in the half-marathon, a 1:01:43 in Philadelphia on September 19, losing to

Michael Musyoki Michael Musyoki (born May 28, 1956) is a retired long-distance runner from Kenya. He won the bronze medal in 10,000 metres at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Running career Collegiate Musyoki was recruited by University of Texas at El Paso, a school ...

of Kenya in world record time (1:01:35) and eclipsing the old world record of 1:01:47 set by Herb Lindsay. He followed that with a 2:13:29

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

debut in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He would run his lifetime best of 2:12:23 in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

in 1985.

Nickname

In 1978 Malley defeated Swedish Olympic steeplechase runner Dan Glans in his hometown of

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

, which earned him the nickname Malmo.

Personal bests

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malley, George 1955 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) American male long-distance runners American male marathon runners American male steeplechase runners Penn State Nittany Lions men's track and field athletes People from Lanham, Maryland Track and field athletes from Maryland